Wireless Charging for Metal Phones? Qualcomm WiPower Says Yes

The world of wireless charging may have just gotten a little more interesting. Both Qi and Powermat seem like they can be pretty convenient, but the latter hasn't really been integrated into that many phones (except for the dual-supporting Samsung Galaxy S6) and they both still require physical contact with a charging pad. And neither of them work with metal-backed phones. Qualcomm is overcoming all of these problems with its new WiPower technology, based on the Rezence standard.

You see, even in the case of the new Galaxy S6, Samsung had to opt for a glass back to go with the metal frame because the Qi and Powermat chargers would not be able to get through a metal back. This takes away from the possibility of a more premium-feeling phone like the HTC One M9. With Qualcomm WiPower, you can charge through a metal back. That means you can do away with adapter cases and phone manufacturers can more readily entertain the possibility of using premium materials like aluminum.

That's huge, but the onus then falls on companies like Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola and so on to adopt Qualcomm's WiPower tech for their future devices. Given that we already have Qi and Powermat battling for supremacy, why would we want a third standard? Well, the Rezence standard on which WiPower is based has a huge advantage over Qi and Powermat. It doesn't require physical contact. Unlike Qi charging systems, Rezence can charge devices at a distance; they don't need to physically touch.

What this means is that the charging pad can be installed underneath your desk and be completely hidden from view. It also means that you can charge multiple devices at the same time, as long as they are within the wireless charging area. This is all pretty compelling stuff, but Qualcomm hasn't really come forward with exactly how all of this works and, as mentioned, we still need to wait for phone and tablet manufacturers to integrate the tech into their products.